Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

liquidcelluloid-1 Network: Fox; Genre: Sci-Fi, Mystery; Content Rating: TV-PG; Available: DVD; Perspective: Contemporary (star range: 1 - 4); Seasons Reviewed: Complete Series (1 season) I've said it before and I'll say it again, the turn of the millennium was something of a creative renaissance at the Fox network. Amid the network's push toward cheap reality shows at all cost there was this frustratingly wonderful little glutton of 1-season wonders that barely saw the light of day. Some were knock-out brilliant (I'm looking at you on my DVD shelf, "Wonderfalls"), but even the ones that didn't quite work were unlike anything else on TV - and still are. Hard to categorize or quantify, "The Lone Gunmen" is such a show. Yes, it's an "X-Files" spin-off, but it's also a bizarre tonal hybrid (developed by 4 "X-Files" alumni Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz, John Shiban and Vince Gilligan) that makes the show it's own animal.While the stories are more, for lack of a better word, light and upbeat that those on "The X-Files", the show takes itself seriously enough not to breakdown into farcical wackiness that some of these conspiracy stories could easily dive into. I don't know if that's a blessing or a curse. For the lone gunmen of "The Lone Gunmen" deal with entirely earth-bound ridiculousness. Corporate and government conspiracies ranging from people being put in alternate virtual realities to super-intelligent chimps (by far my favorite episode) to government-sponsored terrorist attacks. Let's just say that the show's quasi-prophetic pilot episode plays very different now then when it aired.Computer geeks Byers (Bruce Harwood), Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Langley (Dean Hagland, sporting Garth Algar hair and glasses) reprise their roles as the authors of an underground newsletter that exposes the truths behind our world. And three more original and unlikely leads you couldn't ask for. Not only are they A-typical leading men and not only are they nerds, but they're jerks too. These aren't your cute romantic comedy sidekick nerds, but arrogant nerds who look down on those who aren't as smart. Despite the fact that they just as often don't actually solve the case or even bumble up someone else's. Case in point, an episode guest starring Stephen Tobolowsky as a pathetic, confused and pained man who the Gunmen treat with hostile, insulting contempt until his situation proves scientifically interesting to them.Given and possibly because of that (thanks to network meddling I would assume), they spend an astonishing amount of time off camera or standing idly by while guest stars and two new characters tell the stories. "Gunmen" gives us Jimmy Bond (Stephen Snedden), the lunkhead, "but lovable" (that's network-speak) man-child and former football player who joins the Gunmen and winds up doing most of the stunts and undercover work. We've also got the mysterious "sultry" secret agent babe who is always one step ahead of the guys (Zuleikha Robinson). Both new characters are given better arcs and more intrigue than the Gunmen. On top of that, "The Lone Gunmen" is at core, just another client-based series in which the story of a guest starring character is unfolded through the eyes and with the help of our heroes. It got to the end of the season and felt I knew almost nothing about them. Would it be too much to ask for The Lone Gunmen to star in "The Lone Gunmen".You have to give the show points for imagination and originality, even if the tone is often off the mark and execution disappointingly succumbing to a tired client-based formula. More episodes could have ironed this out.* * ½ / 4

sethness The show extracts three very likable but slightly shallow characters from The X Files, and sets them up with a show of their own.That's all that was preserved in this transplant, and that was a poor decision. "The X Files" works because it takes itself seriously, and doesn't insult the intelligence of its viewers; "The Lone Gunmen" fails because this spin off breaks away from that tradition. "The Lone Gunmen" is written for a crowd of morons: the sort of juvenile viewers who like "Get Smart", "Laugh In", and "H. R. Puffinstuff".The makers decided that TV didn't have room for another serious "Twilight Zone / Outer Limits / Night Stalker / X-Files" TV show, so they turned these fine characters into The Three Stooges. It was a mistake that was painful to watch.I'm saddened that the show was cancelled in mid-season, rather than gutted and reconfigured with a more "X-Files" formula. I'm glad that the show's producers realized that its stoopid dumbed-down scooby doo humor was a mistake, but the characters and the show could have recovered from this poor start. The Lone Gunmen could have gone through a makeover to produce a sort of 'Sneakers' / 'Hackers' / 'Night Stalker' show to rival The X Files.

fshep-1 The Lone Gunmen, castoffs in a society which doesn't tolerate people outside of the circle, was one of those unique , and interesting shows, which are hard or nearly impossible to duplicate. So much for diversity!Characters created by Glen Morgan and James Wong , Richard "Ringo" Langly (Dean Haglund) Computer Geek Extraordinaire , Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) Electronics Wizard , and J. F. Byers (BruceHarwood) Humanitarian and Seeker of the Truth, team up to form one of the oddest combinations of all time . Added to the Team were Jimmy "James" Bond(Stephen Snedden), and their adversarial counterpart Yves Adel Harlowe, it spells Lee Harvey Oswald(Zuleika Robinson), Zuleikha means " Beautiful One " in Farsi,(Persian) . I guess the TRUE irony is that you CANNOT find the Actors Names ON or IN the DVD box it comes in!!! WOW! What a Snub !!! Thanks Fox, what Class!The Simpsons is on for over 15 years, but they cancel this program ?Go Figure ! This was the only show which Predicted the Possibility of an Attack on America and they get rewarded by Cancellation ! They didn't inspire evil, but tried to prevent it .INCREDIBLE!These actors WERE real heroes for their Visionary thinking, and always taking on More than the average Joe . The only real enemies they had were ones that were afraid of people who ask TOUGH questions .Pilot Episode deals with the disappearance of Byers' father and the possibility of a terrorist attack .Also introduces Zuleikha Robinson, TV will not be the same .Episode #1 introduces Jimmy "James" Bond, created for comic relief and to provide a "Bond", sorry for the pun, to play against the trio and the audience.Episode #2 puts Frohike in Leiderhosen, which I find HILARIOUS,I guess you have to have a European background to really" GET" the joke , as they try to reunite a long lost son with his mother .Episode # 3 has the Trio searching for a vehicle that runs on H2O, a personal favorite .Episode # 4 finds the Team babysitting , while trying to find the killer of a political campaign employee .Episode # 5 attempts to solve a man's claim to a house, in a community where no one seems to know him.Episode # 6 has The Lone Gunmenmatching wits with a Super-Intelligent Chimp, this is AAA Material and a Classic !!! Yes, it wins the Homer Simpson Award for people who enjoy chimps with High I.Q.'s.Episode # 7 finds Byers and Jimmy in prison , attempting to find the truth behind a murder , this show actually crosses the border into Drama, but finds it's way back in the second half . Interesting, but tough to watch .Episode # 8 the Boys are on the track of a poacher of Grizzlies, but find themselves in over their head .Episode # 9 Tango Los Pistoleros is a Classic , with Yves and the Team in Miami, on the trail of Government Secrets . A Personal Favorite !!!Episode # 10 finds A D Skinner,from the X-Files, in the middle of a who dun-nit, as the chief suspect !!! Mitch Peliggi finally gets to showcase his acting ability in a Tour DE Force performance .Episode # 11 Cap'n Toby , Langly's childhood TV idol, under arrest for espionage !!! For those who like Tom Poston, this one is for you .Episode # 12 "All About Yves", Morris Fletcher teams with the Gunmen, in order to retrieve a stolen computer disc, taken by Yves. Episode is one-dimensional and except for a great opening, dull .This was the NEVER FINISHED , supposedly "To Be Continued " episode that completely leaves the viewer in LIMBO . "Jump the Shark", an X-Files program from their last season, ATTEMPTS to end the story line of the last episode from "The Lone Gunmen" series, but COMPLETELY misses the mark, by Eliminating the Gunmen in some ham-handed mishmash, throwing in the towel for a total lack commitment to the fans and ACTORS who enjoyed this Series . The term "Jump The Shark " is an industry inside joke, that means a TV show has reached a point of obsolescence, and needs to be dumped, so when the title was added to the final episode, you get a feel of what they are really trying to say . Dump this Turkey in the nearest trash bin !!! The Greatest complement I give "Jump The Shark" is of its' testament to the stupidity of Man to eats it's young .So enjoy the pilot and 11 episodes, only watch the 12th one and "Jump The Shark", if you want to be disappointed with intelligent programming for adults who enjoy some fantasy. Mark Snow was really coming into his own with the Music that was taking the Gunmen into a higher level of programming . Too bad for us and him. Get the DVD, nice extras....Whatever .......

thorvindr Okay. Seriously. This show was cancelled for the same reason every good Fox show (with the exception of the Simpsons and the X-Files) gets cancelled. BECAUSE FOX IS A CRAPPY NETWORK!!! By now, you should no better than to get attached to anything that's been on the Fox network less than three seasons. Until they start that third season, the show could get cancelled at any time. Once you hit season three, you're pretty much made.The Fox Network executives simply do not know good television. They cancel shows like Firefly (whole other can of worms), Family Guy (repeatedly) and Greg the Bunny, while keeping garbage like American Idol and the Simpsons. Okay. That needs a qualifier. The Simpsons used to be good. Now, they've run out of material and the show is just boring.Anyway. That's the end of my rant. Have a nice day. Don't watch Fox.